Details

Saying nay to the naysayers.

We have to look back and laugh a little bit at the echos of all those naysayers who said a carbon DH-specific rim would never hold-up. Then along came Greg Minnaar, Josh Bryceland, and a few other podium-stompers aboard ENVE's simply-named "DH" rims, and suddenly, that naysaying stopped. Carbon fiber's application to downhill, when done properly, makes perfect sense, as does the 27.5-inch wheelsize, so when you mash them up with a pair of indomitable Chris King hubs, the result is arguably the ultimate pair of DH-ready hoops, called the ENVE M90/Ten 27.5-inch Chris King Wheelset.

ENVE had a tall order ahead of it when designing a successor to the World Cup DH-proven "DH" model rim, but unsurprisingly, the team in Ogden, Utah, delivered in spades. The 27.5in M90/Ten rim now weighs 509g, saving roughly 15g over the previous 27.5 DH rim, but the real payoff is increased width and astounding strength. Part of the strength increase comes from trading in traditional bead hooks for a redesigned beadless hook bead, which is both lighter and more impact resistant. The width is a whopping 25mm internally, which provides a round tire profile, for greater cornering stability, and more rubber on the ground at any given time. Anyone who’s familiar with ENVE knows the fanatical lengths that its engineers go to in order to achieve a perfect ride feel. Accordingly, the M90/Ten has been tuned to provide a degree of vertical compliance, enhancing both grip and rider comfort, without sacrificing the fantastic lateral rigidity that endows ENVE with the “on rails” feeling for which they’re prized.

Up next are those excellent hubs. The name Chris King in cycling componentry is synonymous with absolute quality, longevity, and aesthetic appeal to boot. All parts, including seals and bearings, are made in-house in Portland, Ore., to industry-beating standards, and are known for lasting years upon years without service. In fact, the company's quality control standards are so stringent that it's been known to melt down entire batches of hub shells if the color anodizing is off by even the slightest shade of hue. In the rear hub, the 72 (yes, seventy two) points of engagement give the freehub body the fastest response of any hub on the market, and a distinctive sound to go along with it. That same rear hub is designed to withstand a consistent 800 ft/lbs of torque, quadruple what most hubs are even tested to, and downright ridiculous when you consider that an Olympic-level track sprinter is capable, at peak power, for only a few seconds, of putting out around 150 ft/lbs. Like we said, when it comes to hubs, Chris King makes them second to none.

The ENVE M90/Ten 27.5in Chris King Wheelset is available with a standard freehub body, and in the color Black. A SRAM XD 1x freehub is available separately. The Chris King ISO hubs are compatible with 6-bolt rotors only, and come in either 150mm or 157mm rear axle width versions.